Wednesday, July 1, 2015

So fake it till you make it really works!

Two and a half years ago, when we started sharing space with every sort of flying and crawling creature, I determined in my heart to hide from my kids my disgust for caterpillars. I didn't want them to develop the same reaction. So whenever we saw some huge, bulbous thing crawling on the ground, I would exclaim with wonder at its beauty, etc.

Well, this worked. Too well. Lydia loves millipedes, grasshoppers, inchworms, caterpillars - anything, grabable, she will grab. Sadly, most of them are furnished with cute little "house" and left to die in their plastic prison. Unintentional neglect.

But on the bright side, I was surprised to notice a subtle shift in my own attitude toward crawling things. The more I touched Lydia's pets at her insistence, the less I minded. I even got to the point where picking worms off my cauliflower was no big deal. See below.

Today took things to a whole new level.

Lydia found an extra fat, really fast worm almost running along the cement. Of course, she immediately tried to pick it up. As soon as she touched it, it made a sudden twisting, jumping motion that made us all take a small step backward. I told Lydia that this was its only defense mechanism against a world full of predators. It became like a toy - every time she touched it, it would make spastic motions. So much power in such a tiny little worm! I'm sure that instinct helped the little fellow escape many near-death encounters. God has everything worked out to a "T'.

Anyway, Lydia eventually picked it up, and started carrying it around. It got used to her hand quickly, and the two were inseparable for the next hour.

What I couldn't believe, is that when Lydia brought it over to me, and insisted I pet it, I looked at it, and felt a mustard seed of affection. It was so cute and fat! This feeling actually grew!

There is a certain feeling one gets when they see an adorable baby with soft, pudgy cheeks. Those cheeks just have to be kissed....

Well, believe it or not, the same feeling welled up within my chest, and yup, it's true - Reader, I kissed it!

I was not going to let this little cutie meet the same fate as the others. After Lydia tried to feed it every kind of leaf in the yard to no avail, I demanded that she let the little presh go. He wasn't even defending himself anymore, he was so weary. So Lydia put him in a special spot in the grass, and looked in on him occasionally. Who knows if he will be there tomorrow? Deep down, I'm hoping he will. :P